Duane Wilbur Obert, 87, of Valley, Wis. (rural Hillsboro), passed away Friday, April 15, 2011, at Bethany Riverside in La Crosse, with grandson Chad and granddaughter Holly at his bedside.
Duane, the first-born son of Wilbur F. and Alice (Nale) Obert, entered this world at a farm near Valley on June 23, 1923. He attended the Valley School, including two years of high school, and then he attended Hillsboro High School for the remaining two years, graduating with the class of 1941.
In 1938, Duane met the love of his life, Arlene Breidenstein, at a church sleigh-riding party. He soon was walking the hills the four miles to court his Vernon County Dairy Queen. On Oct. 26, 1941, Arlene and Duane were married at the Evangelical United Brethren Church in Valley; to this union, three children were born: Carolene D., Duane David and Kent B.W.
Duane was inducted into the U.S. Army in March 1943 and served in the 111th infantry division in the South Pacific, being discharged Dec. 7, 1945. Upon his return home, he formed a partnership with his father, Wilbur, and his brother-in-law, Harold Bauman, and established the Obert-Bauman Feed Mill in Valley. Duane and Arlene bought the mill solely in 1951, and it became Valley Feed Mill. In 1951, Duane, Wilbur and Harold bought 14 acres near Wildcat State Park and built Wildcat Drive In. Later, Duane and Arlene purchased it, added three log cabins and renamed it Beauti-View Resort. In 1970, they purchased the first 12 canoes to be rented for use on the Kickapoo River. Beauti-View was later sold to the Wisconsin DNR.
Duane will be remembered for his singing and memory for many old songs, plus his interest in our area of Wisconsin and in particular the Valley community. He had played baseball on the Valley team and treasured those memories. He enjoyed the nature God surrounds us with, from beautiful sunrises to beautiful moonscapes and all of the wildlife within. He was very patriotic and proud of what his generation had accomplished. He enjoyed watching sports and was his grandchildren and great-grandchildren’s No. 1 fan.
Survivors include his daughter Carolene and her husband Alan Martalock of rural Ontario; his son Kent and his wife Alice of Genoa; his grandchildren, Holly (Mark) Shane of Sioux Falls, S.D., and their children Anna and Ellie, Tim Obert of La Crosse, Chad (Sue) Obert and their children Sarah and Jacob of Stoddard, Troy (Lori) Obert and their children Evan, Joe, Nathan, McKenna and Sophia of Genoa, and Heath (Rhonda) Obert and their children Hunter, Justin, and Drew of Stoddard; his brother, Donald (Arlene A.) Obert of Valley; his mother-in-law, Anna Breidenstein of rural Ontario; his sisters-in-law, Lucille Breidenstein of La Crosse, Linda (Harry) Fiske of Valley, Anna Marie Breidenstein of Minnesota, Shirley Breidenstein of Oklahoma and Ruth Breidenstein of Delavan, Wis.; his brothers-in-law, William (Marla) of Janesville and Bob, Alton and Merril, all of rural Ontario; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Monday, April 18, at Burr Wesleyan Church, rural Hillsboro. Burial with military rites will take place at Valley Cemetery. The Picha Funeral Home in Hillsboro is assisting the family with arrangements. For online information, go to www.pichafuneralhomes.com.
The family would like to give special thanks to all of Duane’s many friends, staff and residents at Bethany Riverside who were there for him these past six years.
